Oct 3, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) makes a save in front of New Jersey Devils right wing Arseny Gritsyuk (81) and Islanders defenseman Logan Stanley (8) during the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
ELMONT, NY — New York Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer has shuffled his defensive pairings after Alex Romanov went down with a season-ending ACL injury on Tuesday night against the Rangers, but he is not committing to any of his lineups just yet.
“We’re gonna try some different things,” DeBoer said on Thursday prior to New York’s meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks at UBS Arena. “There’s a lot of thought that went into it… I think we’re gonna start this way, and we’ll see. From there, nothing’s in stone. We might move guys around. I’m not married to anything, but I think the initial thought was that we’ve got puck movers with guys that think defense first, and then we’ll start from there and go from there.”
Second-year phenom Matthew Schaefer will stay on his off-side on the right, where he will be paired with veteran Logan Stanley — the hulking 6-foot-7, 28-year-old was signed just before the start of the season as more of a third-pairing/depth option.
Now, he’s playing with one of the best young blue liners in the game atop New York’s first pairing.
“Not exactly how I drew it up and envisioned it going, but I have lots of confidence in who I am as a player and my capabilities,” Stanley told amNewYork. “I didn’t see this one unfolding as quickly as it did, but I’m excited for the opportunity.”
As DeBoer alluded to, Stanley’s physical presence will potentially open up some more ice for the dynamic Schaefer to make some plays.
“I don’t have to be afraid of anyone coming after me,” Schaefer said with a smile.
“He’s a physical guy, so it should give Schaef some security,” DeBoer added. “That presence is underrated out there with skilled players. You talk to a lot of skill players that I’ve coached over the years, and they all like that physical presence on their line just because it frees them up a little bit.”
While long-time stalwarts Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech are reunited in this shake-up, fellow veteran Scott Mayfield draws back into the lineup to the right of Tony DeAngelo on the third pairing. The soon-to-be 34-year-old, who has appeared in 12 different seasons for the Islanders, started the year as New York’s seventh defenseman after losing out to Stanley.
“I’m excited. Obviously, when you’re not playing, all you wanna do is be out there with the guys and be competing,” Mayfield said. “I know what I need to do. I go out there, play hard, just focus on what I do well. I don’t go out there and try to do too much or anything like that. When you’re not playing, it’s all about staying ready. So I think I’ve done a good job of that.”
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